Manual and semi-automated animal milking systems are in widespread use. The predominant system currently used employs a “standard milking cluster” including a bowl (such as the Waikato 320 Claw supplied by Waikato Milking Systems of Waikato, New Zealand) connected to milking cups via feed lines. Such systems require an operator to attach and remove the cups.
A number of milking robot designs are in commercial use, such as the Lely ASTRONAUT range. Such milking robots typically service only a single animal at a time. Due to throughput limitations this requires several expensive robots to be employed or requires milking to occur over an extended period. Further, such robots are not compatible with standard milking clusters with the milking cups being incorporated within the robot arm. Others, such as the De Laval VMS range pick up and attach each cup independently, with each cup being on a separate hose, rather than a cluster. Thus they cannot economically be retrofitted to conventional milking parlours.
WO00/72664 discloses a milking robot having milking cups integrated into the robot arm. This milking robot requires one arm per milking bale.
EP689761 discloses a milking parlour in which one robot services the bales of a rotary platform but provides no details as to the construction of the robotic arm.
U.S. Pat. No.4,508,058 discloses one robotic arm servicing a rotary platform but provides no disclosure as to how the cups are located by the milking arm.
It would be desirable to provide a robotic arm and method of milking that allowed a robotic arm to attach the cups of a standard milking cluster for a number of bales of a standard parlour or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.